Improvement in the manufacture op wrought and puddled iron



rutina gaat @strut ibitza-y Letters Patent No. 106,347, dated August 16, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WROUG-HT AD PUDDLED IRON.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

a desired character' from iron ot' different qualities by melting in a furnace the iron of one quality and agitatiug it withainechanical puddler composed ot' iron ot' another quality, which, melting, will unite withthe `molten massA in thefurnacaand will be puddled therewith, the puddler thus performing its mechanical functions, while it aids, by its admixture with the contents of the furnace, in producing the wrought iron oftheY desired character. v

Descriptionof the Accompanying Drawing.

Figure l isa yertical section of a fdl-nace wherewith my invention may be carried into effect, and i Figure 2, a sectional plan ou the line I 2, iig:

General Description.

In the process of pnddling, it is a common practice to melt iron ot' one quality in the furnaceand then to add iron of another quality, with the view of producing wrought iron of a desired character. Sometimes wrought iron is added with dierent llixes to the metal in the furnace, with the view of obtaining a'desired product, the usual plan of stirring and agitating the metal being pursued. n

Various mechanicalV appliances have been devised -with the view of saving the severe and costly labor required in manipulating the usual pnddling tools, but the use of machinery in place of labor has, hitherto, been very 'limited in the practice of this tedious processowing to the destruct-ive ac'tion of the heat on the mechanism employed.

, In carrying out my invention, I employ a mechanical puddler, butI avail myself of the gradual melting of' the saine as a means of mixing together diiferent qualities of iron for t-he purpose oi' obtaining wrought iron of a desired qualit-y. 1

I lave selected, for illustratiom a furnace of peculiar character wllerewith to carry my invention into effect, but it should be understood that furnaces oi' different styles may be used, and different machinery employed, without departing from the main features of my invention.

In the drawing- A represents the fron-t wall of the furnace A1 and A2, the opposite side walls;

C, the fire-place, having ille usual grate, I), and ash'pit, E;

I1`, the bridge-wall; and

G, the concave bed of the furnace, wherein the metal is melted and puddled.

'Ihe furnace has `an arched rear, H, in which is an I opening, h, a 'sliding cover, I being arranged to close or expose this openilw. y

Areturn flue, J, forms a 'communication 'between the interior of ,the furnace and the chimney, K.

'In the opposite side walls .A1 and A? of the furnace are inclined openings t', i, for receiving the. journals of a vaned wheel, M, the latter' being composed of iron, of the quality which has to be mixed with that inthe furnace,

When the furnace is inv operation the opening It is closed by the sliding cover I, the inclined openings t' "i are so blocked up with refractory material thatthe journals of the wheel M only can pass through them, and the said wheel M is caused to revolve, in' the direction of the arrow, by any suitable mechanism, in the molteu'metal in the bed of the furnace, while the products ot' combustion are directed through, the space between the roof B andthe bridge-wall 14 onto the wheel and onto the. molten metal, and after circulating through the chamber of the furnace, pass oii' through the flue J to the chimney K.

As the molten mass of metal is agitated and carried upward by the vanes of the' wheel M, and as it falls from the said Yanes in streams, it is met by the products of combustion, so that a thorough paddling is effected, while, at the same time, the wheel itself must be gradually melted, and the melted portion must unite and he puddled with that in the. furnace, andwronght iron of the desired quality must thus be. produced.

'As the puddler is consumed and reduced in dialneter, its journals can be adjusted to alower position in the openings i i', so as to be near the bed of the-furnace.

I'prefex: Athe furnace illustrated and described for carrying my invention into effect, but, as before remarked, diifereut styles of furnaces maybe applied and different mechanica-l puddlers substituted for that explained. A vibrating pnddler may, for instance, be employed in place 'of the rotating wheel, or a vertical shaft may passthrongh the roof of the furnace, and within the same may be furnished with a suitable agitator.

. Claim.

'lhe process described, of mixing and pudd-ling iron of different qualities together, by melting iron of one.

quality in a furnace landfagitating it with iron of a dierent quality, as set forth:

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM ENNIS Witnesses WM.. A. STEEL, LoUIs BosWnLL. 

